The Spell of the Blue Fire

Prologue

It was a scorching hot summer day, which the royal family of Ozai spent on Ember Island. It was only the second day of their vacation, and Azula, the youngest child of the family, seemed bored. She would much rather be at the training grounds of the palace, practicing her firebending. After all, she had to remain the best and wanted to make her father proud and, well... earn her mother's recognition.

Annoyed and rolling her eyes, she watched as her mother searched for "beautiful" seashells in the sandy beach with her brother Zuko. What a dumb hobby. Especially for an alleged prince.

Mother didn't even bother to look at her. But that was nothing new. It was always Zuko, Zuko, and Zuko... Azula? Apparently, she didn't exist to her.

The girl frowned slightly, turned around, and walked away. She didn't want to linger around the beach any longer.

"Azula, where are you going?" Father asked.

"I'm looking for a quiet place to train," she explained.

It wasn't even a question. No one could stop her now. Not even Mother's attention. Now that there was a possibility that the little princess could cause some trouble, Ursa looked up and briefly acknowledged her. Typical.

"Fine, but don't go too far and be back here before noon," Ozai allowed his daughter to go.

The girl smiled as sweetly as she could and disappeared with a "Yes, Father."

At first, Azula planned to go back to her vacation house and practice there, but then she remembered an even better and quieter place. Her place...

It was an unvisited part of the beach near their accommodation. Hardly anyone ever went there. Thus, it was the perfect spot to train undisturbed.

Azula practically ran through the tall grass, over the dunes, past the vacation house, towards the mentioned stretch of the beach, wasting as little time as possible. There might still be about two hours until noon, and she wanted to make the most of them.

When Azula arrived at the beach, she grinned with satisfaction. There wasn't a soul in sight as far as the eye could see. At least, that's how it appeared at first.

The princess was about to assume a basic stance for firebending when something caught her attention in her peripheral vision. She narrowed her eyes upon closer inspection. There was a person about her age, a child. On her beach?! Azula let out an annoyed breath through her nose, conjuring a bit of fire.

Oh, well. The distance between her and the stranger was great enough to train undisturbed, regardless.

The princess assumed her stance once again and finally began her training. The new techniques she had learned had to be executed perfectly. Azula smirked as she noticed some of her flames flickering blue. It had happened before. The masters were impressed by it. Even Father had looked surprised. Such a reaction was rare for him. There was a speculation that her technique had improved to such an extent that she was able to generate this hot blue flame, free from unnecessary impurities that would otherwise color it red-orange. Her fire would become as perfect as she was. That was excellent. Zuko wasn't even close to her level. Why did Mother spend so much time with that weakling?!

Azula let out a frustrated scream and sent a rather powerful fire wave toward the ocean. It wasn't fair. The young princess clenched her fists. No, she couldn't... It was a weakness! Yet, a tear dared to roll down her cheek. Crying was for weaklings! Not for strong people like her. Not for princesses.

Her gaze turned annoyed towards the person who still lay motionless on the beach, as if they were responsible for all the problems of the young princess. Azula rolled her eyes and approached the child. She quickly realized it was a girl. Her hair was black and flowing. It reached almost to her shoulders. Judging by her attire, she belonged to the Fire Nation, and not from the poor side! Her dark red pants were made of quite expensive material, Azula knew that much. The higher nobility could afford such things. The girl's boots were black with red highlights. She wore a black short-sleeved shirt on top, and over it, a kind of red Fire Nation vest with golden embellishments. The clothing had a somewhat masculine feel to it, but that didn't bother Azula at all. She knew when to wear fine clothes, but she preferred more comfortable attire over dresses. After all, it was easier to train in them.